|
CBI Case a Miracle for Darshan
Singh Maini
JALANDHAR:
For
Darshan Singh Multani, this could only be a miracle. This former
bureaucrat’s son Balwant Singh Multani was an alleged suspect in a
bomb blast case in which an attempt was made to eliminate former UT
SSP Sumedh Singh Saini. The police declared Balwant a proclaimed
offender; his father said the police killed him. On Friday,
India’s CBI
virtually confirmed what the father had alleged. As a former IAS
officer of Punjab cadre, Multani was once part of the very system
that he now so fears. Some 15 years ago, the High Court had turned
down his petition seeking production of his son, who was declared as
absconding from custody.
| |
| |
Bad news
for Saini in other case too
For Saini,
this week brought a double whammy. Five years after 14
people were booked in the Nayagaon rape case, the court of
District and Sessions Judge, Ropar, U S Gera acquitted all
the accused, including a suspended Sub-Inspector of Mohali
Police and a woman. It was in this case that Saini had tried
to implicate a journalist Gautam Dheer provoking the media
and had come in for flak from his then DGP, S S Virk, and
then CM Amarinder Singh. Saini was at that time heading a
Special Investigation Team, and had arrested 20 people,
including principal correspondent of the Indian Express,
Gautam Dheer. Dheer’s arrest had brought the conduct of the
SIT under the scanner, forcing Saini to resign. |
|
|
|
Such was
Multani’s fear of the police that even most of his colleagues
avoided discussing the case with him. The Chandigarh Police picked
up his younger son Balwant Singh (27), a junior engineer in CITCO,
from their Mohali residence on December 11, 1991. ‘‘When I asked the
raiding cops, they assured he would be released after some
questioning. I approached the secretary of my department (who went
onto become the state’s chief secretary) who told me the same thing.
Then, accompanied by some officers, I approached the
Punjab
home secretary, who
merely repeated what the others had said,’’ he said. With
disappointment still palpable in his voice, he added, ‘‘I kept faith
in all the assurances and approached the authorities cautiously,
lest the police got annoyed and harassed my son.’’ On December 13,
when nobody was at the Multani residence, the policemen reportedly
broke open the doors and later showed some recovery.
‘‘I learnt about
it from my neighbours, after which I wrote to the home secretary,
chief secretary, governor and Union home secretary,’’ he said. On
December 13, Balwant’s arrest was announced and shown from Sector
17. ‘‘It clearly was a concocted story. I learnt through the media
that my son was booked under TADA and IPC,’’ the former IAS officer
added. ‘‘I filed a bail application but within a few days, during
its hearing, the police claimed Balwant had escaped from custody on
December 19 when he was being taken to Qadian in Gurdaspur
district,’’ he said, adding his son was declared a proclaimed
offender later. ‘‘People told me he had been eliminated,’’ the
father shuddered.
Recollecting
that his son was about to be promoted as an SDO when he was
picked-up, Multani said they were going to ‘see’ a girl for Balwant
on the Sunday after the fateful day. And then life took a shocking
turn. ‘‘I learnt that my son was tortured and unable to walk, after
which the police killed him,’’ he alleged.
Courtesy: Times
of India
9
July, 2008
Also read:
Write your histories,
Please!
Top Punjab cop Sumedh Saini
in the dock for abduction and torture
How CBI heaps shame on Saini, Indian
system
|
Read Also
